Kempo

I had the good fortune to drive a friends Evo VI at the weekend and I would say... WOW!!! This really is a beast of a car.

The main points that struck me were:

Performance - out and out not "massively" faster than my modified UK 95 scoob. To me, this had much to do with the gearing. On the Evo the gearbox is much shorter than the longish gearing on the UKs. Evo vs (Scoob)

2nd - 60mph (70mph)
3rd - 85mph (95mph)
4th - 110mph (125mph) (all on private roads of course )

However, the power delivery on the Evo is stunning - in any gear the torque is very impressive - mine still delivers a big punch from 3000rpm whereas the Evo has throttle responses I only dream of from 2k rpm onwards.

On the road the difference would not be massive if comparing a straight line drag from standstill to third gear speeds. The fact that mine redlines so easily (full decat) means less gear changes than the lancer.

But, the handling of the Evo is amazing - I have the bump steer mod on mine, yet the Evo handles even better than the difference going from standard scoob to bumpsteered scoob (if you get the drift).

The brakes on the Evo are also simply awesome (I run standard 2 pots with performance disks / pads).

My wife summed it up by saying the Evo did not feel as brutal as mine, meaning that the kick in the back when boost comes in was not there - more linear power delivery on the Evo.
I am seriously considering changing my car...

This was a completely boggo Evo, no mods. I am interested to hear peoples views who have gone from Scoob (modded) to Evo. It was fun!

Paul

SPEN555

You wanna have a go in a MY03 JDM STi8, loads of torque from 2k rpm and no hint of any turbo lag. This down to the twin scroll turbo and equal length header.

Damian.

scooby_si

not really a like for like comparison IMO & if we're not deluding ourselves then usually the evo will be the marginally better performer on track if a little harder to live with day to day. Try an STi or my advice a type R scooby & u will realise how slow the UK turbo is not mocking i still own a turbo 2000 at the minute & am looking to upgrade to either type R or evo or sumin else later in year. A mate has just gone from STi5 type R to evo 7 RS sprint & both beasts of a bar & shed loadsa fun
Si (suck it & see lol)

Kempo

I imagine that the Type R must be great fun, I have heard they are quite frantic with the shorted gearing. I guess what I was getting at regarding the performance was that driving hard on fast A-roads the Evo would be out in front but maybe not by all that margin. The argument of needing + 100 bhp difference to open up a significant gap must be true.

That said, on fast B roads the sheer grunt and bursts between bends would leave me lagging way behind the Evo in my car. Not to mention the brakes and the way it goes around the corners. It felt so solid - my friend also liked to give it some round the bends and the composure was staggereing!!!

chrisp

My RA does 103mph @ 7,600rpm in 4th according to my dyno run, hows that for short gearing . I went from an exhaust modded UK to an RA and the difference is not only the power but the pull from 2,500rpm right the way to 7,000 and no lag between gear changes. My UK suffered from lag and it need 3,000 rpm before it would start moving and 3,500rpm before it really kicked in.

Yes the Evos are good cars and it comes down to personal preference in the end.

Kempo

Chris
I agree. The pull from lows revs is fantastic and makes the car so much more flexible to drive than my UK which needs 3 - 3,500rpm before your head hits the seat back.

Said in the voice of Tiff Needell "I'll take the Evo VI"

TVR Gary

Friend has a tommy Mak jobby ...... fastest car i have been in. 335BHP of massive grunt...This one has a 3-4k kick in the back like a mule

SimonH

Currently have a P1 and just test drove an Evo VIII FQ300 this morning. Very nice car. Power wise there frankly wasn't much in it (in the real, day to day world I'm speaking about here, not the autobahn trackday world that some folk seem to live in ) although the power delivery was very smooth. Handling though was very nice. Very flat round the bends and gripped for ever. Only gripe was that the speedo is utterly impossible to read!

Have also driven a standard STi8. Didn't really like it particularly although I'm hoping to drive an STi8 PPP shortly which may redress the balance

C

Went from an Sti 4 type R to a P1 - people talk of the HUGE difference in acceleration - SORRY there isnt at all!!!

P1 was softer & easier to drive but as a 2nd car was ultimatly too soft...

I then went to an Evo & wished I had never nbothered with the scoobs - the Evo is everything I wanted the Scoob to be (only downside is the exhaust note) & wouldnt consider a lardy Scoob sti7 or 8 at all

But hey if we were all the same it would be boring

tiggers

C,

What are the real world running costs of an Evo like compared to a Scoob.

Regards,

tiggers.

C

In all honesty?

The Evo costs me no more in servicing costs than my P1 or Sti did as they always got done every 6 months or 4500 miles..

I think so far the Evo has actually worked out cheaper to service.

Insurance is more than the P1 as the Evo is an import (only £200 tho)

Fuel consumption - just as bad - all three were tuned & do pi55 poor mpg - Evo needs more stops buyt its tank is nearly half the size lol.

People make out its every 5 mins - its not at all if you are really sensible I reckon you could do over 250 miles on a tank in a standard car - I rarely sneak over 100 to a tank, but then I only drive it once or twice a week so have to make up for it

Hope that helps

tiggers

C,

Thanks for that.

I really really fancy one, but I'm suffeirng in the insurance department due to some drunken tw@t who wrote off my Elise last November and then did a runner consequently I copped for the £18.5K claim.

Despite the fact I've got protected no claims my insurance is a mysterious £900 on an Integra Type R at the moment so I wonder what they'll sting me for on an Evo. Oh sod it I'm going to buy one anyway ;-)

Regards,

tiggers.

Kempo

C,

Everything you have said has confirmed what I think was inevitable - I WILL own an Evo VI

Just waiting to sell my Scooby now

Cheers
Paul

Bobby Peru

I thought about a makinen.
then...
30
2 yrs NCB
........................£3600
thats Liverpool for you, and, no doubt, why you don't see many EVO's here!!

mbc

i went from owning a modded my01, it had around 285 break and now own an evo 6. I loved my impreza to bits but in my mind the evo i own now is a 100% better car, but thats just my opinion which is why i bought an evo 6 and sold the impreza. but it just gets better and better with the more mods you do (obviously) and they aint cheap like any car but on a bhp to the £££ ratio you get more bhp for you money with a mitsi. all this talk bout running costs and fuel bills is b0llox but the insurance for me is £300 more per year than the scoob, but thats the only real differance. im only in the neighbouring county to you so if you wanna go for a spin to make your mind up then give me a shout

mike


[Edited by mbc - 5/29/2003 1:48:42 PM]

Colonel Mullet

Went from a standard UK impreza to a standard Evo 6 and there is a significant difference in all-round performance, although as you say in the real world on real roads there's not gonna be a huge gap opening up between the two. I find the overtaking power (50-80) in third gear is immensely quicker and much more useful than the Impreza. But a standard Evo 6 is still not really a fast car - you WILL get used to it very quickly and you WILL need to mod it to get more power.

Standard brakes are only very good when they're working which is not very often. The standard disks warp if you fart within ten feet of them. Budget a few hundred quid for some proper disks and pads or a couple of grand for an AP 6-pot system.

Servicing costs a bit more because it needs doing more often. Insurance will probably be a few hundred more. Fuel economy depends entirely on driving style - I get 200 miles for about £35 worth of petrol, which is more than most manage. It's not a cheap car to run and I would strongly advise against anyone over-committing themselves just to own one even though the prices have fallen a lot recently. If your AYC goes bang, or the gearbox input shaft bearings go off, or all the paint comes off your nice Super-Ts (all common problems) then you're looking at a big bill.

Downsides? You will get a lot of attention from young men, which (for me anyway) can be quite embarrassing. And whilst it is a much rarer and more exclusive car than the Impreza, remember that to most people it's just a riced up old Jap box and anyone over the age of 40 will still think it's a Subaru...

C

You wont regret it people

RichiW

Went from a '98 Terzo with full Scoobysport SS system and K&N induction kit to standard Evo6 ... the Evo just blew me away.Not just speed wise, but in the way it felt on the road.The Evo has sooooo much more road presence than the Scoob you would not believe, and i thought at the time the Scoob had more than enough!

Going from the Terzo to the Evo felt like going from an XR3 to a F1 car, very fast steering, alot harder suspension, very short positive gear change.A few months ago i got a ago in a standard classic STi, well what a disappointment.I was hoping for fond memories (which i still have now of my old Terzo) to come flooding back, instead i got a slow wheezing agricultural rollie pollie drive that i very much disliked.

Of course at this point in time as Colonel Mullet has stated, after having owned ny Evo a few months or so i had modified it, and at that time was producing 360bhp, so the STi would feel slow in comparison.

MPG wise i get (now with 385bhp on tap) 30mpg at 70/75, 26mpg at 80/85 and 22mpg at 90/95. Servicing i get done on mileage and not every 6mths, as its out of warranty and i do around 8K a year, so that isnt too bad

Evos arent to everyones tastes, theres plenty of Scooby owners who have tried them and not liked them, but on the flip side of the coin, you have the people like myself and the others above who simply cannot get enough of such a good thing

Enjoy!

http://www.lancermods.co.uk

[Edited by RichiW - 5/28/2003 10:35:04 PM]

George W Bush

Have had 3 Imprezas 2 UK and one STI V5, just got EVO6 about 4 months ago and love it to bits, far superior car in all departments in my opinion. Totally agree with all comments far more respect and less common.

Kempo

It sounds like the usual comments regarding much higher running costs of the Evo VI are exagerated. Scoobies are expensive cars to own with the insurance, servicing (main dealer), parts etc and apart form the additional intervals for the AYC on the Evo fairly similar too.

Pleased to hear all the positive comments above regarding ownership and performance - of course, like my current Scooby I doubt it would stay standard for long. Decat, induction kit would be the first things I looked into if (when) I get one

ScoobyDoes

I changed my Evo VI for an STi Sportwagon, and there are so many differences I could go on forever.

Principally, though, the Evo was much rawer; fierce in all gears except top and suspension so rigid you get your fillings shaken out.

My STi isn't such a beast through the gears, but boy it's a lot nicer to travel in - the Evo felt like it was jarring between one surface irregularity and the next, and on hard cornering you were sure it was somehow skitting across the pitted roads. Not so the STi.

I needed more practicality hence the Sportwagon. Sad to see it go in some ways, esp. the looks and that in-gear performance, but happy with the choice overall..

cryptwalk

I went from MY95 WRX (modded) to Evo5.

Cant really add to whats been said (I agree with all the evo boys comments), i'm happy and thats whats important.

Cyberevo

iTrader: (1)

I went from an STi1 to an EVO6 and sold it 2 months later, I found the paint quality to be very poor, AYC pump went followed by Diff £5k bill in total. Lucky it was under warranty, the car had only covered 9k miles.

It felt a little rear end skittish on tight bends, possibly the AYC funictioning problems caused this.

Sold it an now have a Integra type R, might not be the fastest car around, but it's the best drivers car I've ever had the pleasure of owning. Grin factor is a big 10

scooby nutter

I went from 93 wrx(boost mod,full hyper system,hks intake) and had a test drive in a evo 4.
1 hour later and it was all mine.

I find with the evo i can change gear at any revs and know that if i put my foot down it will just pickup and go,the subaru had to be revved harder.

The handling on the Evo is out of this world,many times have i approched corners at silly speeds(unknown roads) and upto now the Evo has got me round all of them,the subaru used to understeer quite badly if really pushed.

Upto now my evo is on 60,000 miles,i have it serviced twice a year(only do around 2-3000 miles,p.a)and its never missed a beat.

The one thing i miss from the subaru is the noise,you'll never replicate that in a evo.~Even with the loudest pipes you cant beat the sound of the Boxer.



Duncan

moses

mate i have an evo the best car out their


better gearbox than a scoob, better engine and better everything only scoob that comes close is the c type andthe classic ra and sti 4 is nice



best car i ever bought

spend a few grand and u beat a pagani zonda for accelaration and bends

RichiW

Not that old chestnut again?? My old mans Sierra he used to own might have suited you well though The suspension is alot firmer than the Scoob that i will agree with you on, but not that bad.And to quote a Scoob owner who i took for a ride in my 6,(and this guy is Subaru through and through) "the suspension isnt half as hard as i was expecting...." turns out he'd be reading and believing statements like the above.

The stiffish suspension is part of the Evo experience, it goes with the minimal body roll and taught accurate steering.If it was soft you'd be off the road instead of around the corner!

However! The suspension can be alittle too stiff for really bumpy back roads, and if thats your territory then you'd be well advised to fit something like the new Proflex road kit.These allow more bleed on small bumps, and so give a smoother ride(and more speed) over rough roads, yet still give you the stiffness on smoother sufaces.I'll be fitting some in due course, but only for the speed factor, certainly not to keep me fillings in!

chrisp

You should try full STi suspension with 18s and 35 profile tyres, less movement than an F1 car . Pretty awesome of smooth back roads though. Must admit if there wasnt a type R or RA scoob I would probably be in an EVO. honestly didnt like the E7 I looked at and didnt see it as an upgrade. My fault for buying an RA my mate said to me . Sure I could go for a 330bhp RS but that has none of the goodies on it. Looks like my next car wont be a rally rep may go back to something pleasing on the eyes.

If you want to mod and/or a track car then get an EVO otherwise I would seriously think about what you want from the car.

cryptwalk

Try having 19" wheels, 35 profile tyres and Cusco hard as nails coilovers then you'l know the meaning of hard/harsh.

Anonymous bob

Don't get me wrong, but sport suspension is supposed to be stiff, and with a huge wadge of HP to contend with, you'd be grateful for the extra stability it will give ya! You scooby guys just love to hate the Evo's don't ya!!

Colonel Mullet

LOL@RichiW

I said EXACTLY the same thing as your mate when I first went out in a 6. For me, the ride is firm but not uncomfortable. It is a little tiresome when the magazines (and people who don't know any better) trot out the same old clichés.

Having said that, the guy with the sportswagon would obviously disagree and he actually owned one so was in a fair position to comment! Some people do seem to have a genuine problem with it, but for most of us it just isn't the issue it's made out to be. I guess as ever it's all down to personal taste, or haemorrhoids, one of the two...